Senior military colleges (SMCs) are among the most prominent and well-known educational institutions in the United States. They were created by statute to give a military experience comparable to that of the federal service academies such as West Point, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy without competing for a limited number of slots.
Attending an SMC allows you to have a comparable schedule and experience as students at service academies while still attending college. Through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, you will also have the opportunity to receive a guaranteed commission in the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Navy. As a member of the Corps, you’ll live in dormitories reserved exclusively for the Corps of Cadets and be engaged in military life 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Below are the Six Military Colleges.
What Are The Six Military Colleges
1. Norwich University
The Military College of Vermont at Norwich University is a private military institution in Northfield, Vermont. It is the country’s oldest private and senior military institution, offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees both on campus and online.
The American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy were established in Norwich, Vermont, in 1819. It is the oldest of six senior military schools and is designated as the “Birthplace of ROTC” (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) by the United States Department of Defense.
Norwich University has about 4,000 students, including over 2,500 conventional undergraduate students and over 1,500 online programs, including almost 800 graduate students and over 700 in undergraduate degree-completion programs.
Norwich University has 162 full-time faculty members and almost 200 part-time faculty members as of 2018. In 2018, 81 international students, academics, and exchange students from 30 countries attended.
Concurrent duty in reserve components is permissible for cadets. Some students join the Vermont National Guard or the Vermont State Guard 3rd Battalion, both of which are headquartered in the Vermont National Guard Armory in nearby Berlin, Vermont. Cadet officers and non-commissioned officers lead the Corps of Cadets.
They are in charge of the day-to-day administration, operation, training, and discipline of the Corps as commanders. Norwich is one of six senior military institutions in the United States that are recognized under Title 10 of the United States Code, Section 2111a (f). This allows qualifying ROTC grads to go on active duty if they want.
Federal ROTC groups oversee several unique units at the institution. The Norwich Artillery Battery, the Norwich Ranger Company, the Ranger Challenge team, and the Mountain Cold Weather Company are all part of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AROTC) detachment.
The NROTC detachment supports the Semper Fidelis Society and the Golden Anchor Society. Norwich offers 29 majors in six academic divisions, with criminal justice being the most popular.
2. Texas A&M – College Station
Texas A&M – College Station was established in 1876 and became the flagship of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. Texas A&M University is a member of the Texas A&M University System, which includes eleven institutions, eight state agencies, and the RELLIS Campus.
A ten-member Board of Regents governs the system, with nine chosen by the Governor of Texas to six-year terms and one non-voting Student Regent appointed to a one-year term. The Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System is responsible for daily operations and reports to the Board of Regents.
The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets, the school’s oldest student group and a distinction that makes the University the nation’s biggest senior military college, is part of its commitment to those students.
Corps of Cadets participants engage in the ROTC program for the first three semesters, with the opportunity to continue in the following years. In addition, students in the School of Military Science undergo leadership seminars.
The institution provides various specific units in which cadets may engage inside the Corps. The Ross Volunteer Company, the official Honor Guard for the Texas Governor, is the state’s oldest student group. Every year, 72 new cadets are joined to the ranks, picked from a pool of juniors and seniors based on their honor, humility, and character.
3. The Citadel
The Citadel, often known as The Military College of South Carolina, is a public senior military college in Charleston, South Carolina. It was founded in 1842 and is one of the six senior military institutions in the United States. It includes 18 academic departments organized into five schools, with 31 majors and 57 minors available.
Cadets earning bachelor’s degrees who reside on campus make up the military program. Non-military programs include 12 undergraduate degrees, 26 graduate degrees, evening and online programs, and three certificate programs.
The South Carolina Corps of Cadets has 2,300 members and is one of the biggest uniformed entities in the United States. Citadel Graduate College has around 1,350 non-cadet students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Women account for about 9% of the Corps and 22% of total enrollment, while ethnic minorities account for 15% of the Corps and 23% of total enrollment. The state of South Carolina accounts for almost half of The Citadel’s cadet enrollment; cadets come from 45 states and 23 international nations.
Tuition is discounted for South Carolina residents, as is usual at state-sponsored colleges. The state contributes 8% of the Citadel’s operational budget. The school’s ROTC department commissioned 186 officers in 2019.
The Corps of Cadets combines academics, physical difficulties, and military discipline. While only roughly one-third of graduates enter the military each year, all members of the Corps are expected to enroll in ROTC.
Business, Education, Engineering, Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, and Mathematics are the five academic schools. Bachelor’s degrees are available in 38 main fields of study and 55 minors.
The Citadel Graduate College provides 26 master’s degrees with 41 distinct specializations, 25 graduate certifications, and two educational specialty courses; an evening/online college transfer program also permits students with college credit to finish their bachelor’s degree in 12 fields. Most instructors are full-time academics, with 94 percent holding Ph.D. degrees; the cadet-to-faculty ratio is 12:1, and the typical class size is 20.
4. Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia. It was created in 1839 as America’s first state military college and is the country’s oldest public senior military institution. In line with its original values, and unlike any other senior military institution in the United States, VMI only accepts cadets and confers bachelor’s degrees.
VMI provides its cadets with severe military discipline and a physically and intellectually challenging environment. The institution awards degrees in 14 engineering, science, and liberal arts fields.
VMI offers 14 majors and 23 minors in engineering, liberal arts, humanities, and sciences. The engineering department includes three concentrations: civil and environmental engineering, electrical and computer engineering, and mechanical engineering. Full-time professors teach most courses, 99 percent of whom have terminal degrees.
Within four months of graduation, an average of 97 percent of VMI graduates are either serving in the military, working, or accepted into graduate or professional institutions. VMI has graduated 11 Rhodes Scholars since 1921 as of 2010. As of 2006, VMI has graduated more Rhodes Scholars per capita than any state-supported institution or university and more than all other senior military schools combined.
5. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech is a public land-grant research university based in Blacksburg, Virginia. Virginia Tech has 34,400 students and provides 280 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It oversees a $522 million research portfolio, among the top 50 colleges in the United States for overall research expenditures, top 25 in computer and information sciences.
It is recognised among the top 10 in engineering, the latter being the highest rankings in the state. It is categorized as “R1: Doctoral Universities with Very High Research Activity.” Virginia Tech was the state’s second-largest public institution by enrollment in 2015.
There have been two Rhodes Scholars, four Marshall Scholars, 38 Goldwater Scholars, and 131 Fulbright Scholars from Vermont. Eight Medal of Honor winners, 97 flag officers, two US state governors, two astronauts, and one millionaire are among its graduates.
Three Nobel laureates and one MacArthur Fellow have obtained degrees or worked on the university’s faculty. VT has around 240,000 live graduates globally as of 2015. The sports teams of Virginia Tech are known as the Hokies, and they participate in Division I of the NCAA as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
6. University of North Georgia
The University of North Georgia (UNG) is a public senior military college in Georgia with various campuses. It is a member of Georgia’s University System. North Georgia College & State college and Gainesville State College merged to become the university on January 8, 2013. Dahlonega, Oakwood (Gainesville Campus), Watkinsville (Oconee Campus), Blue Ridge, and Cumming are among the campus sites.
The University of North Georgia is Georgia’s sixth-largest public university, with about 20,000 students enrolled. UNG has five colleges that provide over a hundred bachelor’s and associate degrees, thirteen master’s degrees, and one doctorate. About 600 students participate in the university’s ROTC program in any given year, earning it the moniker “The Military College of Georgia.” The institution is one of the United States six military colleges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tuition-free education is available at the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, the Coast Guard Academy, and the Merchant Marine Academy—but admission requires hard work and perseverance.
A first-year cadet gets more than $1000 per month, with the sum increasing yearly. A part of the cadet’s salary is transferred to a personal bank account.
The Army’s premier leadership school, the War College, awards a “master of strategic studies” degree to senior military and civilian leaders who complete its 10-month on-campus courses or two-year correspondence course requirements.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_North_Georgia
- https://collegegazette.com/best-military-schools-in-the-us/
- https://veteran.com/senior-military-colleges/
- https://blog.prepscholar.com/us-military-colleges
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_senior_military_college